Following the success of two Israel education conferences in Miami and New York last year, Unpacked for Educators (UED), a division of OpenDor Media, held its first Israel education conference of 2025 in Toronto on January 13-14, generously supported by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and the Maimonides Fund.
Over 100 educators from more than thirty educational institutions participated in the two-day conference, providing educators with essential theoretical and practical skills to navigate difficult conversations surrounding Israel, particularly during times of conflict.
Highlights of the conference included a thought-provoking panel led by Dr. Noam Weissman, EVP of OpenDor Media & Dr. Daniel Held, Chief Program Officer at the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto titled ‘Israel education: Where we were and where we are going’ and a panel featuring school leaders Hillel Rapp (Bnei Akiva Schools of Toronto), Renee Cohen (Tanenbaum CHAT), and Benjy Cohen (Bialik Hebrew Day School) about the purpose of Israel education in schools with Zionist missions and the promotion of critical thinking in the classroom.
Educators also had the opportunity to review practical units for the classroom including ‘Dos and Don’ts of teaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’ led by UED Education Associate Alex Harris and ‘Using music to teach about October 7’ led by Avi Posen, Director of Education at UED and ConnectED.
Over 90% of conference attendees said they ‘learned new perspectives to bring into the classroom’ and 100% of participants said they either found the conference ‘very relevant’ or ‘extremely relevant’ to their teaching going forward
“Navigating Israel education during times of conflict has become increasingly challenging for educators,” said Sarah Gordon, Director of Unpacked for Educators. “By coming together and providing educators with practical tools to navigate difficult topics we hope to give them the confidence to teach Israel education in a more nuanced and balanced way in the future.”
“Creating a community of educators with shared language and common goals is more important now than ever,” says Avi Posen, “these conferences help educators feel more confident to engage with students on difficult topics to inspire the next generation to connect deeply with their Jewish identity and Zionism.”
This conference was made in partnership with the Weisfeld Family Charitable Foundation, Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools in North America, and the Jewish Education Project.
